Building Learning Communities 2011

Data can be fascinating, and it is not something that is just for math or science class. Since 2010 we have never had so much publicly available data about the way our lives are run, the environment, our geography, our history… But most of us do not know how to tap into the PDFs, tables, geocodes and charts to dig out the meaningful stories hidden in there. Learning how is one of the key new literacy skills our youngsters will need if they are to be fully participative members of society:

• How can Google open up hidden data?
• How can our students become gatherers of meaningful information about the world around them?
• What stories have been told using data, and can we find authentic real world problems that our students could help solve with their own open data crunching?